Getting Into Berlin

Berlin currently operates two airports, Tegel and Schönefeld.

For some time, Berliners and travelers alike have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the snazzy new (and enormous) Berlin-Brandenburg International (BER), but the mammoth enterprise has met with some hiccups. The airport should be coming soon, and until then, you can easily fly into Tegel or Schönefeld do the trick (and read our report on BER's troubles here).

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Tegel

Just 9km (6 miles) from the heart of Berlin, Tegel is well connected to the city center (and the more heavily trafficked of the two airports).

Two public buses (109 and 128) will whisk you into the center of the city for €2.40 (fair zone AB). These two buses easily connect to underground transfer. You can catch the U6 at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz or the U7 at Jakob-Kaiser-Platz. Between four and 12 buses run every hour, and the journey time is 40-60 minutes.

There are also two Expressbus options, the X9, which connects to Zoologischer Garten, and the JetExpressBus TXL, which connects to the main train station, Hauptbahnhof. Each of these buses makes only the major stops, meaning a quicker journey (20-30 minutes). Tickets cost the same (€2.40), but the buses run less frequently: three to four times an hour between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.

A taxi from Tegel into city center will cost you about €25.

Schönefeld

Schönefeld, situated 18km (11 miles) from the center of Berlin, handles a big share of budget airline traffic. The best mode of transportation between Schönefeld and the center of Berlin is the Airport Express, which operates to and from a little train station just across the boulevard from the airport (there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the railway station). Airport Express runs twice an hour from 4:30 a.m. until 11 p.m.and will only set you back €2.40 The journey into the city should take between 25 and 40 minutes.

The S9 S-Bahn train provides another option into the city. A bit slower than the Airport Express, it takes between 40 and 60 minutes, and it too is inexpensive, at just €2.40 per journey.

A taxi from the airport into the city will cost around €35.

Flying into Berlin

Visit our Germany budget flights section for more information on low-cost airlines flying into and out of Berlin.

How to get in from the major train stations

Berlin features several major train stations, the most major of which is the gleaming and impressive Hauptbahnhof. Other major train stations include Zoologischer Garten, Friedrichstrasse, Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof. All train stations are connected to multiple U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines.